If you're looking to try out a variety of new ski or snowboard gear before you buy, then head up to the mountain on a demo day. Register for a discounted lift ticket, or for free at participating retailers. Below are some upcoming early season demo days:

Nov. 13, Loveland: Christy Sports demo days -- Pre-register for $40 and get unlimited demos, a lift ticket and a $10 meal voucher. If you already have a ticket or season pass, pre-register for $20 for demos and $10 meal voucher.

Nov. 16, Loveland: Outdoor Divas demo day -- No additional cost beyond lift ticket. Day starts with complimentary on the snow refresher workshop hosted by Chris Anthony and women's alpine skis will be available to try.

Nov. 20-21, Loveland: Colorado Ski & Golf demo days -- Pre-register for $40 and get unlimited demos, a lift ticket and lunch. If you already have a ticket or season pass, pre-register for $25 for demos and lunch.

Nov. 23, Loveland: Burton and Forum demo day -- No additional cost; a valid lift ticket and credit card for deposit are required.

This autumn has felt a lot like summer along the Front Range, but that hasn't kept winter off the mind of many locals.

With the snow blowing and lifts running at Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain and Keystone resorts, the 2010-2011 ski and snowboard season is underway.

Several resorts upgraded their mountains over the summer, most notably with new chairlifts at Arapahoe Basin and Vail.

The new Black Mountain Express high-speed quad lift at A-Basin will whisk riders up to mid-mountain in less than three minutes, cutting the time in half from the previous Exhibition fixed-grip triple lift, which had been in operation since 1978.

At Vail, ride time also will be cut in half from 12 minutes to six minutes at the resort's High Noon Lift servicing the Sun Up and Sun Down bowls. The former fixed-grip triple lift, also known as Chair 5, is now a high-speed quad lift.

Eldora Mountain Resort, the closest ski area to Boulder, has a new lift for the kiddies and first-time skiers -- a conveyer lift, otherwise known as a magic carpet, will replace the former Tenderfoot 1 and 11 tow-rope lifts in the beginner area. Eldora also is working to improve glade skiing and snowboarding on the mountain by thinning and removing some trees on expert terrain.

Most resorts are conducting at least some sort of tree thinning and removal in the continuing fight against the mountain pine beetle, which has been killing mature Lodgepole pines across the Western United States this past decade. At Steamboat, 50 acres of trees were removed this summer below Rough Rider Basin along with another 30 acres by the Thunderhead Express and Burgess Creek lift. Many resorts are replacing some of the lost trees by planting new Douglas Fir and Colorado Blue Spruce trees to increase species diversity.

Copper, Loveland and Steamboat resorts are all boosting their snowmaking this season, hoping to attract more early-season skiers and snowboarders. Copper also announced a new larger 22-foot half-pipe, which will remain up all season. And Breckenridge will feature a new larger 22-foot half-pipe this season as well.

Copper spokesman David Roth said the resort has recognized an increased interest in terrain-park riding, especially from the younger crowds. That trend led Copper to open its Woodward at Copper, a year-round, indoor training facility, which features artificial snow jumps, foam pits and spring floors. Woodward offers riders the ability to learn and build confidence in their park and pipe skills before hitting a trick or jump out on the real snow.

"Even for adults, it's a way to give it a try without coming back to work with a cast," Roth said.

Last season, Copper was purchased by Utah-based POWDR Corp. Roth said the company is spending $5 million to $6 million in capital infrastructure improvements around the mountain, which will set the stage for several significant upgrades within the next few seasons.

Perhaps the best news for Copper, Winter Park and Steamboat fans, is that the new ownership at Copper hasn't affected the availability of the Rocky Mountain Super Pass -- allowing unrestricted access to Copper and Winter Park, or the plus version, which adds six days at Steamboat. Those passes were available at skicolorado.com through Sunday.

Although the best deals on season passes have already past, the opportunity to buy a pass will likely stick around until mid to late November, resort representatives said. For those who may not think about the skiing or snowboarding season until Christmas, it's a wake-up call to act within the next month if they want a pass.

Broomfield-based Vail Resorts, which owns Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail resorts had its usual line of season passes, which were available through Sunday. But new this season is the Keystone / Arapahoe Basin pass offering unrestricted access to both mountains. A-Basin is independently owned, but does partner with Vail on some of its passes.

November also is the last chance to pick up any four-pack ticket deals, sold online or at local ski and sport retailers. The best bang for your buck comes from Loveland's 4-Pak, available for $119 online or for $109 at several remaining ski expos until Nov. 21. The four tickets come with no blackout dates for the entire 2010-2011 season, and they are fully transferable. That means buyers can share the tickets with friends, even using all four on the same day.

Loveland Marketing Director John Sellers said the 4-Pak offers the most flexible and affordable tickets around. In general, Loveland's theme has been about presenting value to customers, he said.

"We haven't seen much of an effect from the downturn in the economy," he said. "If anything it might have helped us. Loveland is more affordable, and it's a shorter drive."

It's a similar story at Eldora, where spokesman Rob Linde said last year was the second-best year in sales for the Boulder County resort. And so far, sales are up this year, he said.

The area's larger resorts say they've seen pre-season sales about on par with last season, which was a down year for them with the economy's woes.

In its most recent quarterly earnings report on Sept. 23, Vail Resorts reported its pass sales down 1 percent from a year ago. On the bright side, Vail Resorts said its hotel/lodge booking indicators were up, along with increased Labor Day retail sales from a year ago.

Earlier this year, Vail spent $31 million to purchase the remaining 30-percent share it did not already own of retailer Specialty Sports Venture. The move gave Vail full ownership of more than 145 sports and ski retail/rental locations, including Boulder Ski Deals, Colorado Ski & Golf and Bicycle Village.

Vail Resorts employee Lori Young takes a photo of Jacob Houchen, a University of Colorado freshman from California, who bought a Vail Resorts season pass on Oct. 13 at the Boulder REI store.
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Daniel Clements
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